Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Skymark to introduce the Airbus A330 on April 18th.

Skymark Airlines (BC/SKY) has announced that their new all-premium Airbus A330 will enter service on April 18th. Initial operations will see the type shuttling on the lucrative but highly-competitive Tokyo/Haneda (HND/RJTT) - Fukuoka (FUK/RJFF) route five times a day. The European wide-body will gradually be expanded to Okinawa/Naha (OKA/ROAH) around October, and to Sapporo/New Chitose (CTS/RJCC) by April next year.

Skymark is now expected to take delivery of their first example, A330-343E JA330A, on March 1st, shortly to be followed by their second. Six are to be delivered by year's end and the remainder will arrive by September 2015. The new A330s are configured with 271 'Green Seats' with a 96.5-centimeter (38 inches) seat pitch at seven abreast (2+3+2), which are akin to Japan Airlines' (JL/JAL) Class J domestic business class product. To attract attention, the eight flight attendants on board the A330s will wear one-piece short-skirt uniforms for the first six months on each new route.